


your knife (my back); my gun (your head)

by Felurian



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: (don't worry jug ain't dead here), Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Death, Cheryl and Betty are best cousins, F/F, F/M, Post 2x21, everyone wants to kick Ghoulies' asses basically, very Serpent cousins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 13:06:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14671710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Felurian/pseuds/Felurian
Summary: The day Jughead Jones dies everything changes.It's as if his sacrifice to save the Serpents finally cements what's been coming to Riverdale for months now. As if everything has been leading to this exact moment, to FP cradling his son's broken body to his chest upon exiting the forest. To the screams, and tears, and shouts as the Serpents gather around them, to Cheryl dialing the 911 with trembling fingers, to Archie and Sweet Pea trying to hold Betty down when she tries to run to them. She breaks free, of course, lands on her knees next to FP, to Jughead's eerily still body.Or, the story in which Cheryl and Betty join the Serpents in their mission to overthrow the Ghoulies.





	your knife (my back); my gun (your head)

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe I wrote a goddamn fic for Riverdale and I kinda hate myself for it. But! It was fun, and like dramatic shit. The latest episode was way too dramatic for me not to write something about it. That's not necessarily how I hope the story will go down in the show, but... ya girl likes some good revenge theme every now then. 
> 
> Enjoy!

The day Jughead Jones dies everything changes.

It's as if his sacrifice to save the Serpents finally cements what's been coming to Riverdale for months now. As if everything has been leading to this exact moment, to FP cradling his son's broken body to his chest upon exiting the forest. To the screams, and tears, and shouts as the Serpents gather around them, to Cheryl dialing the 911 with trembling fingers, to Archie and Sweet Pea trying to hold Betty down when she tries to run to them. She breaks free, of course, lands on her knees next to FP, to Jughead's eerily still body.

A question rises in the back of her throat, one that she daren't ask. She reaches towards his bloodied face but stops midway, dropping her hand to the ground. He seems so fragile, she can't bring herself to touch him. Her attention is caught by the barely visible right and fall of his chest, and Betty lets out a broken sob.

It's then, as she begs him to be alright alongside his father, the Serpents watching them with solemn faces, that a decision is made.

War comes to Riverdale.

 

* * *

 

 

He dies, and then he comes back to life. His heart stopped on the way to the hospital, FP tells her in the hushed, frantic whispers as they seat next to each other in the crowded corridor. Betty nods, though his words don't really register in her brain. She barely registers anything - from the steel-like grip he holds her hand in, to hot tears streaming down her face. It's strange, her tears. Betty thinks that she must be crying for Jughead, fighting for his life in a room down the corridor but there's something else. Something which is all too familiar to her, which roars inside her whenever the image of bloodied, mutilated Jughead flashes in her mind.

It's what she's scared of, and of how much it makes her similar to her father. The Black Hood. She can't bring herself to think about it now, though. It doesn't matter anymore. Not when they still don't know if he's gonna make it.

He has to, Betty thinks. He promised.

And once he does, then she's going to let the monster inside her wake up again. They will regret ever laying a hand on him.

"Betty?"

Her mother's worried voice brings her out of her reverie. She looks up, into Alice's Cooper eyes, which seem uncharacteristically fearful. Betty doesn't think that FP even notices her arrival.

"Mom," she rasps and before she knows it, a sobs escape her lips as she jumps into her mother's arms. Alice hugs her fiercely and while it's not enough to comfort her, Betty feels grateful for her presence. For the first time in a long time.

"Shh, baby, it's gonna be fine," she whispers into her hair. "He's gonna be fine."

She sounds so confident as she says it and Betty knows it's because her mother has mastered telling lies - but this time, she lets herself believe that.

They stay like that for a few moments, in the safety of their embrace. Eventually, Betty steps away, wiping on her face with the sleeve of her jacket, doing a poor job at the getting rid of the tears. Her mother gives her a smile - or at least she thinks it's supposed to be a smile. She tracks her mother's gaze, which falls on FP. He stares blankly into the space in front of him, his eyes bloodshot and teary. Betty glances back at her mother, who seems like she's considering whether to console him or not. Whatever kind of strange relationship her mother and FP share, Betty can't find the strength inside her to question it now.

She steps aside, motioning for Alice to sit down. If her mother is surprised by that action, she doesn't show it and gracefully lets herself down on the plastic chair. Her hand falls on FP's shoulder but once again, he doesn't seem to notice.

Across the corridor, Betty catches Sweet Pea's gaze.

The only thing she can see in his eyes is fear and for some reason, that terrifies her more than anything else.

 

* * *

 

Cheryl thinks briefly that she should feel like she's trespassing. Not that Cheryl Blossom has felt anything similar in her life - she never trespasses, she's _always_ wanted - but for some reason, she almost feels like that, surrounded by the Serpents in the hospital corridor. Yet Toni's warm hand wrapped around hers says something different. It makes her feels like she belongs there, with them, awaiting any news about Jughead's condition.

She almost laughs at that realization. Weeks ago, Cheryl would have never thought that she'd be there, fingers intertwined with her girlfriend's (it's surreal, still, to call Toni her girlfriend), _worried_ about whether Jughead Jones will survive the night. He was… a nuisance, at most, before. When he called her this evening, though, when he trusted her to get Toni away from Penny Peabody, something changed. Cheryl doesn't necessarily feel as if she likes him yet, but maybe, just maybe, she saw him differently tonight.

And now, rubbing Toni's back comfortingly, she finds herself fiercely hoping that he's going to make it.

"I never thanked you."

Cheryl barely catches Toni's soft voice in the hospital's racket. She looks at her.

"For earlier, you know. You saved my life. If you hadn't come when you did, they…" Toni swallows thickly, stealing a glance at FP. She doesn't need to finish her sentence for Cheryl to understand. If Jughead came alone to Peabody, the Ghoulies might have gotten Toni too. The mere idea makes a shiver run down her spine.

"Of course, dear," she replies, taking her other hand into hers. "I must admit, I imagined your thanks quite differently, with more roses and candles, but I suppose this will have to do."

Toni stares at her with wide eyes before she lets out a bark of laughter. Her eyes still shine with unshed tears and the smile on her face quickly falters but for now, Cheryl counts it as victory. Even more so when Toni snuggles into her side, the sweet scent of her hair suddenly overwhelming.

Who would have known that Serpents use floral shampoos, Cheryl thinks with amusement.

It dies quickly, as she looks at her cousin, who seems like she doesn't know whether to stay with FP or run. Cheryl supposes that she, personally, would go for the latter but Betty Cooper is a fighter, that she knows. There's a crease on her forehead and behind the fear and heartbreak evident in her eyes, Cheryl can see something else, too. Something she's seen in her own eyes before setting Thistlehouse on fire.

She won't let her cousin make the same mistake that she did. She won't let her take revenge on her own.

Blossoms take care after each other.

 

* * *

 

It's in the early morning hours that they finally give them an update on Jughead. The doctor seems annoyed at how many people are waiting for the news, but doesn't comment on it. Betty's thankful for that, because she thinks that Sweet Pea might have punched him if he did. If not, she most certainly would.

When the doctor says that he's stable, FP breaks down, covering his face as sobs rock his body. Betty, on the other hand, remains completely still, her gaze fixed on the doctor. He seems tired - not that she's surprised, not after the hell night that Riverdale had witnessed. There's something else he has to say to them, she can tell by the seriousness of his face, by the way he waits for FP to calm down, suddenly sympathetic.

"He's stable, but the damage done to his body is severe. For now, we need to keep him under coma, at least until he heals a bit so he can breathe by himself."

Betty swallows the bile rising in her throat. Her nails dig into the palms of her hands involuntarily.

They've done it to him. The Ghoulies, Penny, whoever. They hurt him so much that they can't even wake him yet.

She wants to kill every single one of them.

"Since he received multiple blows to the head-"

Betty sees in red as the words leave doctor's mouth.

"-we ran an MRI scan. All brain functions appear to be normal but we won't be able to tell for sure before he wakes up."

A silence falls over the corridor. Everyone takes in the news and it seems as they can finally breathe with relief, for now at least. Not yet fully calm, when the fate of their friend isn't certain, but less lost than before.

And then, they can plot revenge.

"What now, then?" Comes FP's raspy voice.

"We wait," the doctor replies without missing a beat. "You can visit him, although I'd rather limit it only to family members." He looks pointedly at the Serpents. Toni scoffs at him - they _are_ family. "It will be at least a few days until we can try waking him up. You're more than welcome to stay with him, talk to him - it might help with the recovery. But, in the end, we have to wait."

It feels pointless, Betty thinks. Just sitting there and waiting. She feels like they should do something - anything - to help him, even though she knows that they can't.

FP leaps to his feet and follows the doctor in quick strides. For a second, Betty hesitates. She wants to go with him, she wants to see Jug, to hear the beeping machines as a proof of him being alive but for some reason, she finds herself glued to the spot. Perhaps she's scared of seeing his unmoving body once again.

Someone touches her shoulder and she startles. Betty looks at Cheryl, who's suddenly at her side and shivers, the red of her cousin's coat all too familiar. She doesn't think she's going to be able to look at red without seeing Jughead's mutilated face ever again.

"How are you, cousin?"

It's so strange, to have Cheryl Blossom next to her, worry etched into her features. She finds, surprised, that it's not unwelcome, however.

"I…" She takes a deep breath. How is she, really? She's exhausted, her entire body hurting and not because she managed to doze off only for a couple of minutes earlier. "I don't know," Betty finally admits.

Cheryl nods, serious, as she takes Betty hands into hers.

"Whatever you need, I'm here." She then looks over her shoulder, at all the others. Toni gives them the tiniest smile, while next to her, Sweet Pea nods. Archie's serious eyes convey the same message and even Veronica - who came in the middle of the night, after Archie called her - snaps out of her absent state to look at Betty. "We all are."

It's more than just an offer of support and both of them know it.

"Thank you, Cheryl."

 

* * *

 

Before noon, people start to leave. Now that they know that Jughead is okay - for now, at least - many of them decide to go take a shower, or grab something to bite and change from the bloodied clothes. Cheryl offers Toni to go to her place, so they can both rest a bit, and she happily agrees. 

She waits for Alice Cooper to arrive, however, and makes sure that she takes Betty home. Her cousin is reluctant at first but it's clear that the fatigue wins. She follows her mother, pale as death.

Earlier, FP managed to snuck her in Jughead's room. Cheryl saw that the doctor noticed and was ready to argue, but she sent him a withering look and he pretended to look the other way. They were gone for a while - she didn't count the minutes, but Sweet Pea managed to make two snack journeys to the vending machine during that time. She wrinkled her nose at him when he offered her and Toni M&Ms.

When Betty came back, following FP, she somehow looked even more miserable than before. They exchanged a few words, hence why Cheryl knew that Alice Cooper was coming back late morning. And as much as she despised the woman, and definitely did _not_ have a newly-found soft spot for her cousin, she decided to wait until she could see Betty get home safely. She made some lame excuse for that and Toni nodded, though Cheryl knew she probably didn't believe it.

Now, as she watches her cousin follow her mother, Cheryl makes a decision. She's heard the Serpents talking - they weren't planning, not yet, at least, but they were close to that. It's clear that without the Joneses, they need a leader, though. And Cheryl is ready to help them with that, but not without Betty.

"Cousin, wait!" She calls after her, jumping up from her chair. Betty turns around. She raises a brow at her.

Cheryl can see Alice watching them, impatient, perhaps even suspicious. For that reason she drags Betty few steps further into the corridor.

"Cheryl, what-"

"What I said earlier, Betty, I meant it," she says seriously. "I've heard the Serpents talk; they're going to go after her, you know."

Betty's gaze suddenly turns harsh, her jaw clenching. Cheryl knows that she caught her attention.

"Why are you telling me this?"

She almost rolls her eyes at the question.

"I'm not blind, you dumbass. I know you want Peabody to get fucked for what she did."

Betty bites her lip, looking downwards.

 _Bingo, dearest cousin_.

"Betty, sweetheart-"

Alice suddenly cuts in. As Betty jumps up, surprised by the sudden proximity of her mother, Cheryl just smiles sweetly at her.

"Just a moment, Ms Cooper."

She drags Betty even further away, before either of them can protest. This time, Cheryl leans in, clutching her cousin's shoulders.

"Look, we both know they're gonna mess it up if they go at it alone. The last thing we want is more people getting hurt." Betty winces at her words and for the shortest moment, Cheryl almost feels bad for her dryness. Almost. "I know that you want to go after them, too."

There's a look of doubt in Betty's eyes. "And what about you? You want to help them? The Serpents?" She sounds like she has hard time believing that and in a way, so does Cheryl.

But when Jughead called her, trusting for her to help Toni… and later, as she stood next to her in the White Wyrm… Cheryl felt oddly at home.

So yes, she does want to help the Serpents. And she wouldn't mind skinning that blonde bitch alive, either.

"Yes," she finally says. "Yes, I do."

Betty studies her face for a while, looking more sober that she did at any point in last few hours. Then she nods.

"Good."

She turns to leave without another word. Just as she reaches her mother, Cheryl calls after her once again.

"Oh, and Betty?" Both Alice and Betty look at her, one with curiosity, and the other with anxiety. "We Blossoms protect what we love."

Understanding passes between them.


End file.
